For most of us, losing belly fat is tough – in fact, it’s tougher than trying to lose fat on any other part of the body. Unfortunately, spot reducing isn’t really possible.
In order to lose belly fat or any other fat, it requires exercise paired with dieting that helps lose fat all over the body. But, here are some things you can do to help you in losing belly fat and fat that lingers in other spots on the body.
1. Get Regular Exercise
To have the best results at losing belly fat, you’ll need both aerobic exercise and strength training. Aerobic exercise helps to burn off body fat. To really get the fat moving, you want your aerobic exercise to be at a really high intensity.
You’ll also want to incorporate strength training. Strength training can help you tone the muscles in your abdomen, which will minimize the appearance of any belly fat. Plus, you’ll want to do all over strength training in order to be able to build muscle all over the body.
Having a muscular body will help you in losing belly fat because it will speed your metabolism, even when you’re doing nothing. This is because muscle requires more calories in a day than fat.
2. Watch Your Portion Sizes
Cutting calories helps cut body fat. Learn to eat the right amount of calories that allows you to have energy and not feel deprived, but keep the calorie count low enough to help you in losing belly fat. Most women should never fall below 1200 calories a day, and most men need at least 1800.
3. Eliminate Simple Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates that come from bread, pasta, rice and sugar elevate blood sugar, which can, in turn, make it easier for us to gain weight and harder for us to lose it. And, for many people, those excess pounds go right to the belly.
Many people find that they can be quite effective at losing belly fat just by eliminating white flour and sugar from their diets.
4. Eat Plenty of Protein
Protein helps us feel full and keeps our blood sugar stable. So, eating protein is a great way to help you in losing belly fat. In fact, research has shown that replacing some of your carbohydrate calories with calories from protein can help you lose more weight.
5. Get Plenty of Rest
Lack of sleep can make it more difficult to lose weight. It can cause hormone levels to get out of balance, which may make us hold onto fat. It can also make us more prone to having poor eating habits. When we’re rested, we’re more ready to take on our weight loss and exercise challenges, too.
6. Find Ways to Relieve Your Stress
Losing belly fat can be more difficult when you’re under a lot of stress. Stress causes the brain to release cortisol, which, when done regularly, can cause us to put on weight. And, for many people, this weight goes right to the midsection, becoming that belly fat that is so hard to lose.
Exercise can help manage stress, as can yoga and meditation. Which method you choose for managing your stress is less important than doing it consistently.
7. Eat Regularly Throughout The Day
Don’t skip breakfast. Eating first thing in the morning helps get your metabolism going, which is important for losing belly fat and fat all over the body. Once your metabolism is stoked, you want to keep it that way by eating meals at regular intervals.
You’ll lose more weight if you spread your calories out throughout the day than if you eat the same number of calories, but in just three meals. Most experts recommend eating six times a day, or roughly every three hours, to help in losing belly fat. This will also help keep energy levels high.
8. Don’t Eat Late At Night
Our metabolism slows dramatically when we sleep, making it very hard to burn off the calories we’ve recently taken in. To help in losing belly fat, stop eating at least three hours before bedtime. For some people, this one step is enough to help them drop a few pounds.
9. Drink Cold Water
Drinking cold water speeds up the metabolism. Keeping a glass of cold water with you all throughout the day can help you ensure that you stay hydrated and that you help keep your metabolism moving.
It takes more calories for your body to process very cold liquid than liquid that is room temperature. So, be sure that glass of water is full of ice.
10. Consume Foods and Drinks That Speed The Metabolism
There are several foods and drinks that have been shown to speed up the metabolic rate. Adding green tea, hot peppers, cinnamon and low fat milk to your diet can help in losing belly fat by helping you keep your metabolic rate high.
Some Negative Calories Foods Include:
- Asparagus
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Green beans
- Strawberries
- Mushrooms
- Onions
These foods actually require more calories to digest than they contain. In addition, they contain lots of fiber, so they help you feel fuller for longer.
Losing Belly Fat Can Take Some Time – So Be Patient!
All of these tips can help in losing belly fat and other excess fat from around the body. But, it’s important to understand that losing belly fat doesn’t happen over night. Losing weight requires patience and persistence.
That’s why, when you’re interested in losing belly fat that it is important that you make changes that you’ll be able to do consistently. Small changes that you can keep up with for a lifetime will be more effective at helping you in losing belly fat and keeping it off than drastic dieting for a short period of time.
Maintaining healthy habits for the long haul is the right way to lose your belly fat and keep it off. There’s no magic bullet, but it is possible to lose that belly for good.
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